The Lady and The King
by abvs
Summary: Yusuke and Keiko have been separated but since when is death permanent?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Don't own YYH. Sorry I'll try harder next time._

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><p>Yusuke was preparing for a war once again. He had been King of Demon World for long enough now that he could practically smell an oncoming conflict. "The Basement worlds" as he called them would occasionally become restless and begin to wreak havoc on his hard-won stable kingdom. Or at least they would try but it was rarely a challenge to crush an insipid rebellion.<p>

He leaned his head back against his chair and closed his eyes giving out a loud sigh. His advisors ignored him as they continued talking.

"I don't see why we need to have a War council for this rebellion." He huffed. "It's not like these guys will be even close to a threat. We just need to smack 'em back down and head home, no reason to make it all complicated."

"It's still nice to be prepared for any surprises they might have in store." Kurama placated.

"Whatever." Yusuke slumped out of the room effectively ending the discussion.

"Well that was productive." Kurama intoned to his table-mates, "But I think we may have a bigger problem than another rebellion. Yusuke doesn't seem to be taking this seriously."

"Yes," Hiei smirked, "the detective is a rather dangerous creature when he's bored."

But Yusuke wasn't bored. Actually the opposite was true; too many things were pressing down threatening to crush him.

They found him next to one of the ponds outside. He sat on the edge half-heartedly tossing rocks into the water. They didn't say anything letting the king take his time.

"My grandkid died last week."

"Which one?" asked hiei boredly

"The last one."

"I'm very sorry for your loss, Yusuke," said Kurama laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"What killed him?" hiei continued.

"Old age." Yusuke looked up at the sky.

"When is the funeral?" asked Kurama softly.

"Tomorrow. Probably not gonna go though. Everyone will just wonder who the weird kid is hangin around." Yusuke didn't look a day over 21 but his eyes held ages. He found that he tended to creep out normal humans.

"I think you should. Don't you want to see your great-grandchildren? Besides I think it's a good time for us to visit Yukina."

"humph." Agreed hiei.

Yusuke never took his eyes from the clouds. Unfortunately his problems didn't end with a funeral, he could feel a growing storm on the horizon. An anxiety had lodged between his shoulder blades warning him something was coming; something big, something that would change everything.

Yusuke had come to hate the human world. It was filled with loud noises and strange technology buzzing past in a confusing array of color. It was different every time he came back and he longed for the stable demon world landscape. A place where things changed slower and any problem could be solved with your fists.

His family also changed rapidly. The youngest child of his youngest child, a baby he had held in the palm of his hand had grown old, withered and died. _At least he was with his family at the end._ Yusuke knew that when his time did come his descendants would have long forgotten him.

The grievers poured in and out of the house some weeping, some telling stories of the past, all reverent. _Geez, couldn't get any less like my wake. _As Yusuke made his way through the line some of the family members looked at him quizzically. He looked so familiar but they couldn't quite place him. He met their looks with an insolent glare. _Damn kids no respect for their elders. _Never mind that he didn't look it. What they didn't realize was that they took after him not the other way around.

Again, as he always did he thought of Keiko. She had died at a hospital surrounded by her family. God he missed her. He had held her hand as she slipped away, she an old woman and he was the same as he was now. Always the same.

"It's always hard, isn't it?" came yukina's gentle lilt.

"You have it worse. You actually get to know yours while they're alive."

She smiled and said, "I enjoy it. They all have so much of Kazuma in them."

Yusuke grunted in affirmation. He knew that her descendants were rambunctious and loud but treated her like a queen. It also didn't hurt that a few of the quiet ones also turned out to be Ice Maidens and prone to the same long lives. They kept her company out at Genkai's temple where she lived contentedly.

Yusuke's offspring were all uniformly human. But he was actually glad for that, all Yusuke's early life had been filled with the strife of a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. He had always been a demon trying to fit in with humans he just never knew it.

But his kids were lucky and took after Keiko. Their lives were short, but happy and fulfilled. Besides from the fact that the majority of them became champion martial artists, Keikos self-control mixed with his powerful punch. Obviously.

Maybe one day one of his descendants would activate the Demon atavism and become his heir but he kind of figured it would take a few centuries. For now he was alone.

God he missed Keiko. And not for the first time he thought of going to live with her in Spirit World.

What he didn't know was that at that moment, back in demon world, a baby was being born.

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><p><em>AN: So over the last few weeks I decided it was a good time to rewatch the entire YYH series beginning to end. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. At one point I blacked out and when I came to this story was chillin' on my computer. Read and review cuz reviews are like sweet sweet writing nectar. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Some time ago:_

Keiko awoke disoriented, she was looking at her family packed into the tiny hospital room but instead of up at them she was staring at the back of their heads. She looked over their shoulders at her tiny body now cold on the big bed. Her beloved was still clutching her lifeless hand tightly and everyone was crying quietly.

A flash of blue appeared next to her and she didn't have to look away from the scene to know it was Botan.

"Do you want to stay? At least until after your funeral?" Botan asked gently.

Keiko floated down to her family. Her children, her babies, were all adults with children and grandchildren of their own. They were all sad but at the same time relieved, their lovely mother hadn't been immune to the ravages of time and now she was finally at peace. The person only person who was struggling was Yusuke. He had known this day was coming but some part of him had always believed that if he could only keep fighting he could beat time itself.

She laid one ghostly hand on his cheek.

"No, I… think I should leave now. It would only get harder if I stay."

"Well, okay if you insist."

The blue-haired reaper gently helped the old spirit on the back of her oar and they sailed away. Keiko saw the hospital and city get smaller and smaller as they flew into the sky and over the clouds. And then there was a sudden pressure change and they were in Spirit World. Everything was pink and yellow and, although Yusuke had described it to her, it was so bright she could have never imagined it.

Finally she was whisked to a gigantic castle, down a corridor, and was lead to …an office. An ogre sat behind the reception area with a list, "Ah, Keiko Urameshi you're early. Follow me."

"Oh," Botan spoke up, "I'll take her to Placements." She flashed him a big smile till he caved.

"Uh, okay her appointment is with Johnson in 121847."

Botan linked her kimono-ed arm with Keiko's and thanked the ogre, then escorted her through a door to the right. Inside this door was the largest room she had ever seen and it was filled wall to wall with cubicles. It was that moment Keiko looked down at their interlinked arms and noticed her own arm. Gone was her familiar frail and veined hand, instead it was young and full. Unlocking their arms she stared down at her hands and ran over to the nearest mirror. A floor-to-ceiling mirror decorated one of the few real walls in the room.

A face! Her face! Her eyes were the same but wrinkles were gone and her skin was young and dewy. Her waist-length hair no longer held a trace of grey but was back to its original brown. She stood straight and tall and for the first time in years nothing hurt, nothing strained or cracked.

Botan smiled behind her and Keiko could see her in the mirror but couldn't take her eyes off of her own reflection.

"After you die you transform into the time in your life you felt the most beautiful."

Now Keiko remembered that face it was her on her wedding day. She was 19 again.

Keiko tore her face from the mirror and turned back to face Botan. "So do you still recognize me?" She laughed it was all so surreal.

Botan laughed with her and clapped her hands together. "Ha! As if I'd forget!"

But Keiko soon sobered, "Botan, what happens next?"

"Why you go to Placements of course!" She chirped.

"Oh… and what is Placements exactly?"

"Well it's where they weigh your life's net worth based on how good you were. Then based on that number where you spend all eternity." Then she gave a little laugh that was both cheerfully demented and apologetic.

"Wow sounds so…simple."

"Well," Botan informed one finger in the air, "It's actually a very complicated statistical analysis of past deeds, situations, circumstances, societal standing, and age. But I'm sure you won't have anything to worry about! Oh, we're running late we've better hurry!"

So Botan whisked Keiko down the many cubicle rows occasionally taking a seemingly random turn. In every cubicle Ogres sat behind desks and computers doing spreadsheets, playing solitaire, or meeting with a random human or demon.

Finally Botan came to a stop outside a cubicle that looked exactly like every other box they had passed. "Okay we're here," Botan beamed, "Don't look so nervous I'm sure it'll all be just fine!"

With a hug for good luck Keiko walked into the tiny room.

"Hello?" She greeted the Ogre hidden behind files of paperwork.

"Yes, yes come in." He said impatiently as he waved her in with an impatient hand. "Alright Ms. Urameshi we've gotten your results back from the Judgements branch and your score was well into the 2nd to highest percentile. Very adequate for a civilian."

"Um, thank you?"

"Yes so you'll be placed in the 5th hall of Heaven for starters and after a few hundred years you can apply for a higher status. Granted you'll need a clean record and three recommendations from your peers and one from your hall president but that's rarely ever a concern. Any questions?" He said this as one monotone sentence and for the first time looked up at her.

"Um actually I was wondering about demons. Where do they go when they die?"

For the first time she had his complete attention and for a heartbeat he stared at her. Then, they were interrupted by the phone on his desk ringing. He snatched it up and barked, "Johnson."

"Oh Koenma, sir I…Yes sir she's here right now. Yes sir right away sir!" Then he gently laid the phone back into its cradle.

He cleared his throat and said, "Uh it appears Mr. Koenma would like to see you before your sentencing." He looked unsettled as if he had suddenly been thrown off autopilot.

"Did he say what he wanted?" She was perplexed, what could Koenma possibly want from her?

"No idea. Let's go."

He stood and motioned her out the door with a sweep of his arm. Botan was waiting impatiently outside.

"Wow that was fast!" She grinned until she noticed the grim look on Johnson's face and the confused look on Keiko's. "Wha-what's going on?"

"Koenma wants to see her."

"Why! Whatever for?"

"No idea." He looked increasingly put off by this fact. A few centuries ago when he had worked in Placements Human Division subsection XII he had been in charge of presenting cases for all assortments of killers and rapists and thus had to go before Koenma fairly often for final sentencing. But since he had been promoted to Placements Human Division subsection III he hadn't been compelled to once. Subsection III was where all nice normal humans were sentenced, no arguing about punishment lengths for these kind folks. It was better class of human, safer, less nauseating, and maybe a little…boring. In truth this little glitch, he was sure this was all this was, was the most interesting thing to happen in over a decade.

As soon as they got close to the Throne Room they could hear Koenma yelling at his trusty side-kick George.

"What do you mean you've lost the transfer papers! Stupid Ogre don't you know we went digital in last couple decades? Just back up your files!"

"Sorry Sir! Right away Sir!" George sobbed and ran out of room.

Johnson coughed to announce their presence.

"Eh! Oh, it's you Johnson… and Keiko!" The miniature ruler actually smiled at her then climbed off his desk to sit on his throne and fold his hands.

"That will be all Johnson. Botan you may stay." He said and the ogre gave one last look at the crazy room shook his head and stalked out.

"Please Keiko have a seat we've some matters to attend to."

She sat in the chair and waited patiently for the ruler to begin.

Koenma sat and took a good look at the girl in front of him.

_So different from Yusuke,_ _he'd be shouting "Now what's all this about shorty! Don't you know I'm busy!" _

"Keiko we have a complication with your after-life placement. Or rather Yusuke has CREATED a complication."

"Oh, great what's he done now?" _I hope nothing's happened to him._

"Yes well, you may not be aware of this but you and Yusuke are a phenomena we call chained souls. You were created to have an intertwined destiny. When a soul with an extreme personality exists another person of an opposite personality is bound with them. It's the world's way of staying balanced. And Yusuke is what we would call an extreme personality. Keiko, without your presence we are very concerned about Yusuke's future."

Keiko was silent for a moment weighing her words carefully. "Is he in danger?"

"We're not sure, usually chained souls have almost identical life spans and if Yusuke's demon DNA hadn't been activated you would have grown old together. We think that if he continues to live… eventually his soul will become warped."

Keiko took an involuntary step back out of shock, "what does that mean? What will happen to him?"

"Those whose souls have been warped…they can't enter spirit world after their death."

"But what can we possibly do?" Botan cried.

"Um excuse me sir but I may have a suggestion." The entire room turned to stare as Johnson peeked out from behind the curtain.

"GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON I SHOULDN'T FIRE YOUR BEHIND RIGHT THIS SECOND!" Koenma screamed from atop his desk.

"Because, uh I uh may have a solution. It's kind of crazy but what about reincarnation?"

In that second everything seemed to stop as the room's occupants stared in wonder.

"You are so fired," proclaimed Koenma.

"But why sir?" asked Botan, "that actually seems like an possible solution."

"Sure! Why Not? We'll just completely throw out the rulebook and she'll be reincarnated, have to live an entire life only to DIE again in 100 years, meanwhile Yusuke will still have a good millennia! Perfect! What a perfectly perfect plan! How did I ever run spirit world without your fathomless wisdom Johnson?'

"Well no one said she had to be reincarnated as human." Johnson mumbled.

"Wait, what was that Ogre?"

"She could *gulp* be reincarnated as a demon and have the same lifespan as Yusuke," finished Johnson.

"..."

"you may be on to something lackey. But… nah it'd never work," Koenma mused.

"Why wouldn't it work?' Keiko asked desperately.

"Well we could hypothetically find a host family but… reincarnation is very risky even within your own species but trying to cross into another would be incredibly dangerous!"

"Do you honestly think I care about my own safety?" Keiko asked. "Please, tell me more," she pleaded.

"Well… hypothetically you could be reborn as a demon then your lifespan would once again match up again with Yusuke's. But there are rules and time constrictions and you might forget everything of your human life!"

Keiko fell silent for a contemplative moment.

"Well you had better tell me everything so I can be a good demon."

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><p>AN: This chapter was the writing equivalent of falling down an up-escalator. Painful, headache-inducing, and I feel like it went on FOREVER. I actually cut out, like, half of the exposition I was planning on revealing in this chapter. I felt like it was important to describe a complete picture of Spirit World, which I am absolutely certain is an unholy union of the IRS and my aunt and uncle's Country Club, but I also wanted to get to certain point in the story and we're pretty much there. Guess I'm just gonna be a huge tease about the details and you can just wait for flashbacks later in the story to get more details.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Sorry for the wait but it's a nice long chapter (yay) also I suppose I should warn you that there are some instances of adult language. Please read and review!_

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><p>Once upon a time, there was a city called Duresman, a bustling seaside metropolis bordering the United Demon Empire and Abhazia. Abhazia and the UDE had been at war for over a century but this independent city remained peaceful and politically neutral.<p>

In Duresman lived a childless couple. This wasn't uncommon, as their particular breed of demon rarely procreated because of their unusually long lives (even among demons). So, it came as a surprise (they were only in their 67th year of marriage) that the woman became pregnant and a baby girl was born.

They loved the child endlessly (how could they not?) but she was always a bit…odd. She had their dark eyes but her hair was brown (when most of their clan was blonde) and most peculiar of all was her smooth pink skin. Their doctor assured them that it was probably pigment mutation and her skin would probably toughen up and darken to a normal blue color in due time. But it didn't, her skin stayed as fresh and pink as the day she was born.

Their local priestess reassured them that pink skin was common among many of the top fighters and rulers in Demon World. It could be a sign of a prodigious strength waiting to blossom. But… she was never a top fighter either. Oh, she had a normal amount of strength and coordination and when it came to team sports she always did well but she just didn't try as hard as the other children in her age class at combat training. She wasn't aggressive like the other kids, sometimes her parents even contemplated that maybe…she didn't enjoy fighting. But that would be impossible! What kind of demon doesn't enjoy a good fight? But despite this persistent strangeness of character (or perhaps because of it) her parents adored her and her father especially doted on her. They loved indulging her and had an especially difficult time punishing her. Although, she rarely even needed to be punished. A strange quirk of fate had blessed her with an infinitely calm disposition. Her good nature and mature smile came very early on and her parents shrugged and decided that this particular peculiarity was not too bothersome.

Her name, however, was another matter. "A whim!" they sighed with the regret although it could have been much worse. After she was born a name came in a dream to the father (a very exotic name indeed) and it seemed to fit her better than any they had picked out. So, Keiko was christened as such and she grew up and went to school and lived a life not knowing anything outside of her city.

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><p>Keiko was out with her friends taking advantage of the warm spring breeze and the natural laziness that overtakes students at this time of year. The group lingered overlong by the shop windows and talked of nothing and everything. They were all childhood friends and so the company was easy.<p>

But as Keiko looked out past the shops and gentle green hills she saw the sea and the horizon. A strange but altogether familiar sense of longing filled her chest. She could barely breathe as she felt her entire being perched at the edge of some great chasm. Then another headache started beating in the back of her skull so she shook her head of all intrusive thoughts.

Her friend, Jamar, noticed and gave her a smile. He asked her opinion about a piece in the window and she gave him one of her calm smiles in response. Keiko was unaware of her friends' collective relief. To them Keiko was the nicest and gentlest demon they had ever known. Everyone! Everyone liked Keiko and many of her male friends fancied themselves in love with her. But every once in a while she would look off into the distance with an expression that was so distant, so intense, so _ancient_ that those who considered themselves her closest friends and confidantes questioned if they really knew her at all.

"So what're your plans for the weekend Keiko?" Tisa asked, "cuz a few of us wanted to go to Torkildsen to see the semi-finals."

"Yeah!" yelled Pei, "Norstrand is gonna kick some ass!"

"No way! This year Borgerding is going all the way to the top!"

"He didn't even finish in the final 20 last time!"

"Would you guys shut up?" shrieked Tisa, "besides Hiei is gonna win. He wins _every_ year."

"ugh, I wish he would stop entering already." Pei moaned.

"I thought you liked Hiei? You cheered for him last time around."

"Yeah but that's before I found out what the winner can do."

"Why?" asked Keiko, "what can the winner do?"

"Well last night my old man was telling me that the winner can challenge the King of the Demon Empire and if he wins, he's crowned the new king!"

"Whaaaat?" scoffed Jamar, "that's crazy."

"It's true!" Pei insisted.

"If it's true, how come I've never heard of it?"

"That's because everyone's scared of the King and no one WANTS to challenge him!"

"um," interjected Tisa, "have you seen Hiei? I don't think that guy is afraid of anything."

"Well duh, he's the King's friend and so is Mukuro so neither of them are gonna challenge him."

"Psssh sounds like a load of crap to me."

"Nu-uh my dad said that's how the King got his throne in the first place! He used to have to fight every tournament to reclaim his throne but pretty soon he got so powerful that everyone who was supposed to fight him just dropped out. So they changed the rules so that at the end of the tournament whoever won could challenge the King for his throne if they wanted to. "

"Sweet," Jamar pumped his fists in the air, "look out bitches imma be the next king of demon world!"

"Pah!" exclaimed Tisa, "you wouldn't last past the first round. Plus you have to be a citizen of the United Demon Empire to fight in the tournament."

"You're just jealous of my amazing fighting ability!"

"As. If."

"So Keiko you're coming along right?" Asked Pei as Jamar and Tisa bickered in the background.

"um I don't know… my parents probably wouldn't like me leaving the city."

"So? We're all 18 now; adults! You can do whatever you want."

"Tell that to my Dad."

"Well you could just not tell them. Just say you're going to sleep over at Tisa's house."

"That would work," Tisa smiled brightly effectively ending her spat with Jamar, "my parents are out of town and my older brother can give us a ride."

"Come on Keiko," pleaded Jamar, "do something crazy for once!"

Just then Keiko's mind drifted back that great chasm. A weight sat upon her chest and on some level she knew that this decision would affect the course of her entire life.

"Okay," she smiled, "I'm in."

Delmer, Laura's older brother, was a bit of a loser. Over 70 years old and still lived with his parents, it was starting to get embarrassing. But he had been to the Demon World Tournament before and he DID give them a ride on his hovercraft so they didn't have to run there.

"Now remember," he warned them as they parked, "don't act suspicious this is only supposed to be open to UDE citizens but they're pretty lax on security. So as long as you guys don't act like dumbasses drawing attention to us, we won't get kicked out."

"You don't have to worry about us Delmer!" smiled Tisa brightly.

"Whatever, meet back up at the craft at 3 or else I'm leaving without you."

Tisa saluted and the group made their way to the entrance.

"You know I think he likes you," murmured Tisa in Keiko's ear.

"Who?"

"Delmer! When I asked if we could get a ride earlier he was all, grunt I don't wanna take care of you and your bratty friends grunt, but then I was all, oh did I mention Keiko is coming?, and low and behold he MIRACULOUSLY changed his mind."

"Um, I don't think he's really my type" Keiko blushed.

"First of all: if you married him we could be sisters! Second of all: you don't even HAVE a type. In all the years I've known you I have never ONCE seen you like a boy… or girl. You do like boys, right?"

"What! I like boys!" At least she thought she did. She liked the idea of boys but she couldn't remember a time where she had ever liked a specific boy. _Maybe I'm more messed up than I thought._

"Come on guys I see some seats down below!" yelled Jamar and the rest of the group climbed over the masses of people to file into the seats.

"All right Ladies and Gentleman! Are you ready for some blood?" A red-haired fox-demon screamed into the microphone. The crowd roared and went ballistic. The woman twirled her microphone and pointed to ring.

"All right people! We have 15 matches to get through today so without further ado let's start the first fight!"

The crowd expressed its approval with increased volume and she proceeded to announce the fighters and their stats. None of which Keiko recognized in the slightest but her friends proceeded to cheer loudly.

The first and second matches were breathtaking and thrilling but by the third Keiko was already getting a bit bored. "I'm going to check out the concessions," she said to her friends.

"Okay but hurry back Norstrand is going to fight some sort of 'masked fighter' next," said Pei never taking his eyes from the ring.

She wiggled down the row past the other spectators and started up the stairs. But once she got to the concession stand she saw that there was no one working the counter. A messy handwritten sign read 'closed till intermission'. She sighed and took stock of her surroundings.

The vast hallway was completely deserted save two men sitting in one of the corners watching the current fight live on a big screen TV. One of the men had long red hair and seemed completely unconcerned with the action unfolding and while objectively he was very attractive she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the man in the seat next to him.

This man had messy black hair falling onto his face and his eyes were covered by thick square sunglasses. He wore clothes that were foreign and unkempt with his green jacket sleeves pushed to his elbows. His forearms rested on his denim-clad knees and he was utterly engrossed by the fight. When the short man in black on the screen delivered a particularly punishing blow to his opponent the man in green jumped to his feet and pumped his fists in the air.

"Yes! Hahaha that jerk-off didn't stand a chance!" He had a big grin on his face and let out a few more deriding laughs.

"Yes, it would appear that Borgerding was a bit overconfident in his technique. A pity I'm sure he was hoping to place in the top twenty this year." The man still sitting intoned.

"Ha, maybe next time loser!"

Keiko was hypnotized. She felt herself being pulled in as if by some giant magnetic field. But as she took an involuntary step forward she knocked over an empty newspaper rack.

The loud crash brought both sets of eyes to her.

There was silence that went on for days.

"It-it can't be." The redhead stammered and then lapsed back into the consuming silence.

The man in green's back straightened as he stared at her until finally he took one step towards her and another and another until he was standing only an arm's length away.

He reached up and took off his glasses. His deep brown eyes ate her face up and then met hers. She was drowning. She didn't know what was happening she only knew that her heart would stop beating if she stopped looking into his eyes.

Then the man clenched his hand into a fist and pulled it back to deliver a punch all the while screaming, "WHAT KIND OF SICK FUCKING JOKE IS THIS?"

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><p><em>Confession time: there are things that still bug me about this chapter. Not the grammar I know that sucks.<em>

_No. I'm talking much, much more irritating. There are little details in this story that no one in their right mind would care about but keep me up at night._

_Like- what the f*** is Demon World geography like anyway?_

_What sort of transportation do demons use?_

_What is their socio-economic makeup? Is it all poverty? bourgiose?_

_Would demons use the term "christen" when it comes to the naming of child even though the etymology clearly uses the word Christ? Kind of ironic if you ask me._

_It seems like most of the powerful demons are humanoid. Is that racist?_

_If the spell has been in effect for 10 years (as referenced by the song Be Our Guest) how the hell does the cup Chip exist? And are those REALLY all his siblings in the cupboard or does Mrs. Potts mean "brothers and sisters" in a gangsta ghetto way? And now im talking about Beauty and the Beast…awkward._

_Yomi and shura_


	4. Chapter 4

The blow came at her so fast that she barely had time to let out a tiny gasp. But just before the collision landed his fist stopped an inch from her nose. His arm hung in the air for an eternity. His face revealed an inner conflict raging inside. She could see his entire body shiver.

"Your highness?" a hesitant voice squeaked from somewhere behind Keiko.

"WHAT!" He snapped all of his attention to the newcomer like the crack of a whip.

"um, sir you're needed back in the VIP box." The little demon looked like he was going to soil himself. Keiko didn't blame him the look on the guy's face was terrifying. _Wait did he say "Your Highness?"_

"I'll be up in a minute." His voice indicated the finality of the statement.

"um sir, heh, there's been a dispute over the next fight and we need your ruling." The little demon kept backing away as if an explosion was coming.

"grrrrrah, KURAMA you handle it!"

Keiko's head was spinning. _Your Highness…it can't be…_

"Yusuke," the man named Kurama responded, "unfortunately the fight needs your official ruling. I recommend we take her with us and hold the interrogation in the private booth after this business is taken care of."

"FINE!" He stepped back and grabbed Keiko 's arm. Keiko felt a blush crawl up her face her and her skinned burned where his calloused hand encircled her tiny wrist.

He stalked to a nearby entrance and, half-dragging her, lead the motley crew up the staircase. At the top they passed a pair of demon guards who saluted and the group ignored them. They then walked down another hallway and up another staircase this one much grander then the last. At the top was a female behind a podium in a valet jacket.

"Oh! Your Highness!" She straightened from her slump.

Again the group passed without saying anything but this time Kurama gave a pleasant little wave to let her know that she shouldn't be concerned and she relaxed again.

The large double doors swung open to reveal an opulent room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ring. The view was incredible, but distracting from that was the large, especially well-dressed, crowd of people packed inside.

"ALRIGHT EVERYBODY GET OUT NOW!" The king demanded. The crowd looked around with confused faces.

"HEY DO YOU ALL HAVE SHIT FOR BRAINS? I SAID OUT! NOW!" the crowd filed out quickly.

After they had all vacated he practically threw Keiko into the nearby chair and barked, "You stay there!"

He then wheeled back and faced the panting little demon who hadn't been athletically prepared for his liege's quick pace up the stairs.

"Now what am I ruling on?"

"Uh well uh…"

"Sometime today, shorty" Came the sarcastic reply.

"Claudius, Sir, I uh well there is a masked fighter trying to enter the match."

"So?"

"Well, sir, the rules state that a fighter must enter under his own name and since this man has refused to reveal himself he should be disqualified. But he insists on his right to compete and won't leave."

With a growl Yusuke grabbed a phone hanging from the wall. "You want an official ruling? Here it is: let him compete. He can fight in a tutu and call himself Princess Ballerina for all I care!...uh-huh…..yeah well I started this tournament and last time I checked I was still King around here so Do My Bidding Dammit!" He then slammed the phone back into its cradle.

"Now get lost short-stack. You too Kurama."

Kurama wisely turned and left. The other demon followed him muttering, "My name is Claudius."

When they left it seemed to Keiko that they took all the air with them. Despite the rooms opulence she couldn't rip her eyes from this figure, this mysterious, impetuous boy everyone kept referring to as the King. As Yusuke turned to face her there was no sound except for the crowds muted cheers and gasps from outside.

"Who are you?" His voice was blunt and his eyes were steel.

"My name is Keiko Renatus." Was it her imagination or did he just flinch? He wore a magnificent scowl and after a pause he dropped into a chair across from her and scooted it forward until they were only inches apart.

"Okay 'Keiko' where are you from?" The sarcastic tone was starting to get on Keiko's nerves.

"I'm from Duresman, I live in the seventh district."

"Uh-huh, listen 'Keiko'," he lifted his index finger and it started glowing with strange high-pitched tone and he pushed it closer till it hovered right under her chin. Keiko could feel the heat emanating onto her skin. His voice dropped low and became somehow more terrifying. "Now I suggest you cut the crap before I blow your lying head right off your fucking body."

Then Keiko didn't know what happened. One second she being threatened by the King of the entire Demon Empire and the next her hand is whizzing through the air of its own accord. She saw it moving but was powerless to stop it as it made a solid 'smack' across his face. The blow was so hard he was knocked right out of his chair and onto the floor. Outside the crowd cheered the match.

He was staring up at her with his hand on his cheek. The look on his face could be classified as comical if it didn't mean her imminent demise.

_Oh no oh no oh no oh no! What have I done! I just slapped the King! I am so dead! Although, he was acting like a total jerk. _Keiko didn't know where that last thought came from.

In a split second he was standing in front of her chair. He grabbed her chin in his right and pulled her to her feet. He proceeded to study her face in the light with an unearthly single-mindedness.

Keiko could feel her skin heating under his perusal and became aware of how close they were standing. She wondered if he could feel her body buzzing under his grasp and was struck with the insane urge to lift her hand and smooth away the furrows between his eyebrows.

She saw an incremental softening in his eyes and then, almost imperceptibly, she felt his thumb gently stroke her jawline. Then he scowled and dropped his hand. The crowd outside booed.

He then stalked back to door and yanked it open. "Kurama! I changed my mind get in here!"

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><p><em>An: so this chap is short (boo.) but the next one is almost done (yay) so I thank you for your continued patience and I would just like to let you know I think you're all wonderful readers, thoughtful reviewers, and extremely physically attractive. If the spirit moves you please leave a review.<em>


	5. Chapter 5

_preface: soooo, this isn't nearly as long as ya'll are probably expecting but I have been super crazy mega busy lately and since midterms are coming I doubt it's gonna improve. So I'm just gonna try to carve out as much writing time as I can and then post it asap. _

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><p>"So you grew up in Duresman?" Kurama asked not unkindly. He sat across from her with his legs crossed casually but Keiko wasn't fooled into thinking he wasn't dangerous.<p>

"Yes."

"And you live with your biological parents?"

"Yes. Why-"

"Do either of your parents have any known human heritage?"

"What? No. wha-"

"Are you certain about that?"

"Um, pretty sure."

"Hmmm." He looked at her introspectively.

"What is this about? Why am I being held here? I haven't done anything!" Her words held a note of pleading.

There was a long pause as his distant gaze peered down at her, "yes, I believe you haven't."

"She's telling the truth than?" The king had watched the whole exchange from the corner. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and head bowed. His eyes had been closed and Keiko had wondered if he had fallen asleep. But now they were once again open and piercing.

"I can't sense any deceit within her. My best guess is that she's a long lost descendant."

The king didn't look pleased, "That's impossible.

"Can you please just tell me what's going on? My friends are going to wonder where I am and I need to get back to them."

"Why is it impossible?" Kurama asked ignoring Keiko.

"Trust me, I'd know if she were one of mine. I would sense it."

"One of yours?" Keiko couldn't keep up. This kept getting weirder and weirder.

Suddenly, the announcer's sharp voice cut through the exchange. "Will a Keiko Renatus come to the ticket stand please? Keiko Renatus? Your friends are looking for you!"

Keiko stood up, "Well you heard her! I'd better get going now!" _Before this gets any more embarrassing_.

"Sit down." The king drawled at her.

"Keiko Renatus your PARENTS are also waiting for you at the ticket taking stand! Keiko! Renatus!" _Too late._

"Perhaps… we can clear some of this up." Kurama rose and turned to the wall phone. "Yes, we have the missing girl safe and sound up in the VIP box if you could please have her parents escorted up?"

Minutes later a security guard showed Mr. and Mrs. Renatus in.

"Keiko!" her mother rushed forward and pulled Keiko into her embrace. Her father wasn't far behind.

"What are you two doing here?" She asked out of surprise.

"Why, we come to every Demon Tournament!" said her father.

"I didn't know that," Keiko said.

"We didn't think you'd be interested! You get so bored with the fights back home." Her mother exclaimed.

"Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Renatus? I am Yoko Kurama and this is His Highness Yusuke Urameshi. If we could just have a word with you…?" In this instant, he seemed very charming as if it were some trivial disturbance that would be cleared up quickly.

"His Highness?" Her parents looked up with new eyes at the pair. They became aware of their opulent surrounding. Gold practically dripped from the walls and on hastily abandoned champagne flutes sat abandoned. The party guests had left them strewn on various flat surfaces. The grandiose was over-whelming to the simple family and they huddled closer to their daughter for strength.

The man who introduced himself as Yoko Kurama seemed to fit their ideal of aristocracy. Handsome, sophisticated, and charming, Keiko couldn't help but sense a certain calculation under all that warmth.

The angry man in the corner was nothing they expected. He was dressed bizarrely and his manner seemed almost casual which was somehow offensive consider the delicate and expensive beauty of the room. But the Renatus were not stupid and could feel the waves of power pouring from him. This brute force instilled respect in them and they collectively held their breath as they waited for the monarch of the Demon Empire to speak.

Yusuke then looked at Keiko and said, "You don't look anything like them."

"Excuse me," Keiko's father's mustache bristled, "I don't care who you are, you don't talk to my daughter like that!"

"Are even sure she's your daughter?" Yusuke's drawl was intentionally goading.

"Yes I had her tested!" Mr. Renatus stated with misplaced pride.

"Honey!" Her mother chastised.

"What?" He asked incredulously, "Listen you," He pointed one meaty finger at Yusuke, "I didn't come up here to be insulted!"

"Gentlemen perhaps we could discuss this in a civil-"Kurama tried to defuse the situation.

"It's a SIMPLE QUESTION okay?" Yusuke cut Kurama off and continued the disagreement.

"Why I outta teach you some manners!" Mr. Renatus took a threatening step forward pushing his shirt sleeves up.

"HAHAHAHA yeah? Go ahead! Pounding you into the ground will only take two seconds!" As the two got into their respective fighting stances a lone figure rushed between them.

"STOP!" There was just enough distance that she could wedge between them. She put one staying hand on her father's right fist and but her other on Yusuke's chest.

"Sweetie, I'm trying to defend your virtue." Her father pleaded.

"I can take care of it myself dad, just please don't fight." After a moment he sighed and put his fists down. He dropped his chin and looked a bit like a scolded child.

She then turned her full attention to Yusuke.

"Stay out of this, Keiko." His voice was low and dangerous. His saying her name had a funny effect on her stomach and when he spoke, the phrase caught in her brain like a butterfly in a net. The familiarity of it was so strong it was as if she was looking upon her mother's face. She felt savagely accustomed to it and the cadence echoed as if it had always existed somewhere deep inside of her. In an attempt at sanity she turned it around on him.

"Not when it involves me, Yusuke." Yusuke moved closer until he was invading her personal space. The stood almost nose to nose and her small hand still lay over his pounding heart. She might as well have stabbed knife through his chest for all the damage it was doing. _God, she even smells like Keiko. _

"ahem." Keiko's mother cleared her throat delicately. "Keiko may not resemble us physically but she is our daughter. She was our miracle baby, a miracle from King Enma himself! Now I don't know why you are asking all these questions or why you are treating us so rudely but I think we deserve some basic respect."

"King Enma? Why would you say that?" Asked Kurama with the same calm manner but now there was under-current of urgency running just below it.

"Well, Tandem-my husband-", Once confident she now stammered under Kurama's still gaze, "he had a dream. While I was still pregnant and she told us to name the baby Keiko."

"Who is 'she'?" asked Kurama with even greater focus.

"The angel," said Tandem Renatus more confidently than his wife, "the angel with the blue hair."

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><p><em>I got a few (a lot) of comments about Kurama being scared of Yusuke. Hahaha WRONG. NO.<em>

_Yusuke is pretty bossy and I think he tries to push around and bully everyone no matter what. Honey badger doesn't give a shit he just takes what he wants._

_Kurama on the other hand is a behind the scenes kind of guy. He's the one moving the chess pieces around while everyone else is yelling. If anything I think he can be a bit patronizing to Yusuke. Because in a game of wits Yusuke is a bit out-classed._

_I think they make a good team, Yusuke being the grand visual establishment (demons admire strength) and Kurama the diplomat. Boom._

_So yeah, Kurama scared? Not so much, he does what Yusuke says because it's good for the kingdom that it at least LOOKS like Yusuke's in charge. :T_


	6. Chapter 6

Yusuke and Kurama shared a side-long glance.

"A blue-haired angel, huh?" Yusuke's voice and posture were casual but there was a sharp glint in his eyes.

"Most curious, if you would… excuse us for a moment?" Kurama's voice was deliberately dull but he motioned to Yusuke to move outside and before anyone could say otherwise they were gone.

While they were out, the woman from the front desk poked her head inside. "Oh, are you Keiko Renatus?"

After Keiko nodded the woman opened the door wider and let in her three forgotten friends.

Tisa ran forward and gripped Keiko in a tight hug. "You loser! We thought you had been kidnapped or something."

Pei and Jamar voiced their agreement and Pei added, "Coulda let us know you got invited to a VIP box."

The group then said greetings to Keiko's parents but before they could ask any more questions a noise buzzing down in the arena caught everyone's attention. There was some cheering but it was far over-whelmed by the intense booing and jeering. The group ran over the glass and peered down at the ring.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" cried the announcer, "Our former champion, Hiei has been defeated by the masked fighter, Princess Ballerina! We have a new World Champion!"

"WHAAAAAAAT!" Yusuke burst back into the room. He stopped for a second when he saw the new additions to the room but you could see him mentally shrug. He then situated himself between Keiko and Jamar in front of the glass.

"This day has to be some sort of nightmare." He grumbled to himself.

They could see the masked fighter with his fists held triumphantly high and Hiei lay to the side unnervingly still. Hiei, the most vicious fighter in the Empire, looked terrible. His body was beaten and bruised and even those with the most discerning eyes couldn't tell if he was still alive.

The masked fighter then grabbed the bandages woven around his head and ripped them off. The man then grabbed the announcer's microphone out of her hand.

"I, Shura son of Yomi, challenge Yusuke Urameshi for the throne of the Empire!" The crowd began buzzing in confusion. Could he do that? Is that possible? The man in the ring stood tall and proud; he was smiling but with his teeth were bared.

"I always knew that kid would be back someday." Yusuke was smirking. To Keiko he looked…excited.

Yusuke caught her looking up at him and she must have looked concerned because he said, "What? You don't think I can handle it? I've known that guy since he was in diapers."

"Technically, as a clone it's arguable he was never in diapers," Kurama mused, "but that's beside the point, we haven't heard from Shura in over half a century and whatever power he has amassed was enough to defeat Hiei. We should not treat this threat lightly."

But Yusuke was already yanking the phone off the wall and dialing. "Yeah, tell Koto I'll be down in a minute but first could someone PLEASE check on Hiei?"

Yusuke rolled his eyes impatiently, "Yeah? That's what I thought." He covered the receiver of the phone with his palm and said to Kurama, "yeah, he's fine, says he underestimated the kid and he wants another shot at him after I'm done."

He put the phone back into its cradle and walked out the door without a backwards glance.

The group turned to the window to see Hiei being carried out of the ring. Despite what Yusuke had said Hiei looked awful, like a living corpse. He was covered in burns and his neck seemed to be hanging at an unnatural angle.

"Keiko," Kurama intoned, "why don't you go with Yusuke?" It sounded like a statement instead of a request.

"Huh, you mean me?" She pointed at herself.

Kurama didn't even avert his eyes from the ring. "Yes and you'd better hurry if you're going to catch up with him."

Keiko took a hesitant step toward the door and then broke into a sprint.

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><p>Yusuke stood near the entrance to the ring, outside the crowd roared. He had almost forgotten what it was like to be right in the middle of the action instead of watching from a bird's eye view.<p>

"Sorry Miss but this area is off limits to civilians." The demon guarding the door apologized.

"Yusuke!" A familiar voice cried.

Yusuke's head whipped back and he said, "Let her in."

Keiko snatched her arm away from the bulky demon and brushed herself off.

"Wait outside." Yusuke ordered the guard and he left with a huff.

"What are you doing down here?"

"Don't fight!" The words seem to be ripped from her. She dropped her head and stared at the ground; she was so embarrassed.

Yusuke blinked, "why not?"

She kept her head down because she didn't know what to say. There was a long silence between them and Keiko hoped the shade of the tunnel kept him from seeing her blush.

She felt his hand hesitantly cover her shoulder. "Hey… don't worry so much alright? This isn't exactly my first fight."

"But …Hiei…" She whispered, barely able to squeeze out the words.

"Hey don't worry about Hiei he's recovered from way worse." At this he gave her shoulder an awkward pat and then dropped his arm. As he began to turn away, Keiko snapped out of her shyness.

"I'm not worried about Hiei!" She said haltingly at first but with building confidence, "I just …don't want you to get hurt."

His gaze softened an increment.

"…Thanks." This time it was his turn to drop his eyes ground.

Keiko didn't know what she had been expecting but it wasn't that, "For what?"

"For worrying about me," he continued to avoid her eyes but switched to looking up at the ceiling, "it's been a long time since anyone has."

The look on his face was so forlorn that Keiko gave in to a strange impulse. She walked over to him and wrapped him in a hug.

After a minute of not breathing, Yusuke wrapped his arms around her in return. Yusuke was swept away in comfort and nostalgia as she fit so well. She leaned up and whispered in his ear, "come back safe, okay?"

Keiko was the first to step away and with one last look backward, he stepped into the blinding light of the arena.

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><p><em>AN: Whoa, 50 reviews? That's amazing! You guys are the best! I will try to my best to update this story more frequently. (p.s. do you think that we could reach 100 reviews?)_


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